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The Security and Exchange Commission’s outgoing commissioner, Hester Peirce, has expressed optimism that the long-awaited Clarity Act will pass.
Speaking on CoinDesk’s The Policy Protocol show, the regulator said that passing the law would help the SEC in drafting regulation.
Lawmakers are pushing to get a vote on the crypto market structure bill — or Clarity Act — before the Senate goes to recess. Some Republicans have bemoaned that Democratic members of the senate are deliberately dragging their feet with the bill.
“I’m still optimistic that the bill will get finished, and it will give I think the industry and investors and regulators an easier path forward because there’ll be very clear lines about who has authority over the crypto spot market, for example,” Commissioner Peirce said.
“If the legislation passes, we’ve got lots of rulemaking to do,” Peirce continued. “But even if it doesn’t pass, we can do a lot: We can develop a framework for people who are trying to do fundraising using crypto assets, as an example.”
The Clarity Act has been in a deadlock for much of 2026, partially because the banking lobby raised concerns over crypto companies allowing clients to earn stablecoin yield.
An updated bill of the Clarity Act was introduced in July addressing concerns around ethics; it now bans government officials and their families from issuing or promoting crypto.
But a group of Democrats have said the bill needs work.
If passed, the Clarity Act would create a regulatory framework for the U.S. cryptocurrency market.
Commissioner Peirce earned the nickname “crypto mom” for her friendly approach to regulating the space despite the SEC’s previous actions.
Under ex-Chair Gary Gensler, the top regulator was openly hostile towards the digital asset space and hit crypto companies with a number of lawsuits.
Since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, the SEC — and other regulators — have taken a far more friendly approach to crypto legislation.
The SEC in 2025 announced a crypto task force specifically aimed at watchdogging the space.
Mathew is a reporter who’s covered the space since 2019, reporting on everything from Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele’s Bitcoin bet to crypto exchange FTX’s bankruptcy.
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